![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/nigerianfinder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Queen-Elizabeths-Visit-to-Nigeria.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAn important part of the history of Nigeria is her colonial story. Under colonialism and under the administration of Britain, the Queen (Queen Elizabeth) was the highest monarchical authority who was in control of government affairs. She carried out ceremonial functions in her position as head of state in the colonised Nigeria. She was also the monarch of the other common wealth realms, including the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Even when Nigeria gained her independence in 1960, the Queen still held a high and important status in Nigeria. Queen Elizabeth was Queen of Nigeria from 1960-1963, the time between the nation\u2019s independence and when she became a republic. You can see now the reasons her visits to Nigeria were always with such great fuss.<\/p>\n
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During her reign as head of state and Queen of Nigeria, Queen Elizabeth visited Nigeria twice.<\/p>\n
The first time was in 1956, from the 28th<\/sup> of January to the 16th<\/sup> of February, 1956. At the airport, she was welcomed by federal dignitaries which included the Minister for Labour and Welfare at the time, Festus Okotie-Eboh and Governor-General Sir James Robertson. She was driven around in a Rolls Royce in the country\u2019s capital, Lagos with lots of fun fare and royal services. She spent time in the Northern part of the country with the Sultan where she visited Kano and Kaduna. She also visited Jos and Enugu. The second time was when she attended the Common wealth Heads of Government meeting which was held between the 3rd<\/sup> to the 6th<\/sup> of December, 2003.<\/p>\n The 2003\u00a0Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting<\/strong>\u00a0was the eighteenth\u00a0meeting\u00a0of the\u00a0Heads of Government\u00a0of the\u00a0Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in\u00a0Abuja,\u00a0Nigeria and hosted by the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo.<\/p>\n During the meeting, the Zimbabwean issue was dominant. This was the dispute over Zimbabwe’s suspension which led to another dispute over the re-election of Secretary-General Don McKinnon. Before the end of the meeting, Robert Mugabe’s announced that Zimbabwe was withdrawing from the Commonwealth. This best explains the need for the presence of the Queen at the meeting. In a letter addressed towards the Nigerian President at the time, the Queen explained that her visit was a demonstration of the value Britain attached to its relations with Nigeria and recognition of the country\u2019s role on the international stage. Queen Elizabeth opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja on Friday, 5th December. Herself and the Duke of Edinburgh (often referred to as Her Majesty and His Royal Highness respectively) also attended other events during the Meeting.<\/p>\n During the Queen\u2019s first visit in 1956, she went on a tour, known as the Queen\u2019s 1956 Tour of Nigeria and the following incidents took place<\/p>\n Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip received welcome in the Nigerian capital, Lagos at the very start of the Royal tour<\/p>\n The Queen attended the inauguration of the new federal courts in Nigeria.<\/p>\n At Kaduna, the then capital of Northern Nigeria, Queen attended a Royal Durbar<\/p>\n Nigerian tribal canoes held a regatta for the Queen at Port Harcourt on the Ronny River after which she visited a Leper colony<\/p>\n When on the Royal tour, The Queen went on a visit to children’s rally and a tribal dancing at Enugu, Nigeria.<\/p>\n In Lagos, Queen Elizabeth attended a garden party and a formal session of the Federation Parliament.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Queen Elizabeth became queen following her father\u2019s death in 1952. She was 25 years old at the time and became the queen regent of seven independent Commonwealth countries which were the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka). Many of the colonial realms, to include Nigeria gained independence during the course of her reign. As of the year, 2018, Queen Elizabeth II has been ruling England for 66years and is currently the longest-reigning British monarch in history<\/p>\n British influence in Nigeria began with the prohibition of the slave trade to British subjects in 1807. In 1861, Britain incorporated Lagos and in 1884, the Oil River Protectorate was established.\u00a0 It was at the Berlin\u2019s conference of 1885 that other European powers acknowledged Britain\u2019s dominance over the Niger area.<\/p>\n From 1886 to 1899, much of the Niger area was ruled by the Royal Niger Company, authorized by charter, and governed by George Taubman Goldie. On 1 January 1900, the Royal Niger Company transferred its territories to the British government for the sum of \u00a3865,000; the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate were then passed from the Royal Niger Company to the Crown. The constitutions after the world war were progressive and allowed for increased representation and electoral government by Nigerians. The colonial period in Nigeria was precisely from 1900 to 1960, after which Nigeria gained its independence.<\/p>\n Queen Elizabeth II<\/a> was\u00a0Queen of Nigeria forms 1960- 1963:\u00a0Nigeria<\/a>\u00a0was an independent\u00a0constitutional monarchy<\/a>. She was also the monarch of the other commonwealth nations such as the\u00a0United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nigeria became independent on 1 October 1960 by a British\u00a0Act of Parliament. Nnamdi Azikiwe was installed as\u00a0Governor-General\u00a0of the federation and Tafawa Balewa continued to serve as head of a democratically elected parliamentary. The Queen was\u00a0head of state<\/a> in Nigeria, though her constitutional roles were mostly delegated to the\u00a0Governor-General of Nigeria<\/a>. The Governor-General represented the\u00a0British monarch\u00a0as head of state and was appointed by\u00a0the Crown\u00a0on the advice of the Nigerian prime minister in consultation with the premiers of the regions. The Governor-General was also responsible for appointing the prime minister and for choosing a candidate when there was no parliamentary majority. Other than this, the Governor-General’s office was essentially ceremonial.<\/p>\n The retention of the monarchy was not accepted by all and the political parties in Nigeria at the time agreed that the country should be a republic.<\/p>\nQueen Arrives In Lagos (1956)<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Inauguration Of New Federal Courts (1956)<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Queen was at the Durbar also known as the Royal Durbar (1956)<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0The Queen visited Kano (1956)<\/u><\/h3>\n
Queen Elizabeth And Duke Philip Visited Jos – Tin Mines (1956)<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Queen went on a tour in Enugu, Nigeria (1956)<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
The life of Queen Elizabeth <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The role of Queen Elizabeth in colonial Nigeria<\/strong><\/h3>\n